Tag: In the News

Manu, Pop ponder loss to Rockets

By Mike Monroe
mikemonroe@express-news.net

The long NBA lockout, which began in midsummer and stretched deep into the fall, allowed Manu Ginobili to spend quality time in Argentina, where he is one of the most popular personalities in his native land.

For the civic-minded Spurs guard, this interlude included a lot of personal appearances on behalf of many causes, including promoting a new book authored by mathematics professor Adrián Paenza.

Ginobili explained to his countrymen that he is hooked on math, so it seemed natural Thursday night when he turned to the most logical of disciplines to explain how the Spurs laid an egg in a 105-85 loss to the Rockets in Houston in their third game of the season.

Taking note of how surprised he had been at the excellence the Spurs had displayed in their first two games, both victories over talented teams, the two-time All-Star said a subpar performance probably should have been expected.

“My way of thinking now is that this is a typical case of regression to the mean,” he said. “We played an extremely good first two games, over the expectations, and today we were below. So it happens.”

Of course, the goal for the Spurs every season is to play far above the mean. They will try to ? get back on a better-than-average track tonight when they play the Utah Jazz at the ATT Center to close out the blink-of-an-eye 2011 portion of the 66-game 2011-12 season.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich — no stranger to higher math himself — seemed to agree with Ginobili that Thursday’s performance could be explained by something approaching science.

There was no postgame rant about lack of effort or poor execution. Rather, Popovich also applied an analytical approach to the game, going deep into his bench early and getting some on-the-job training for rookies Kawhi Leonard and Cory Joseph and second-year players Tiago Splitter and James Anderson. He kept team captain Tim Duncan, the team’s oldest player, on the bench throughout the second half.

Popovich regards Splitter and Anderson as virtual rookies because injuries cost them so much court time last season. He considers their early development vital to his team’s ability to cope with the grind of the compressed schedule.

“We’ve got some players that we had last year but weren’t available,” he said. “Tiago Splitter and James Anderson are like two new draft picks coming in, so we’re a deeper team that’s more prepared.”

Splitter admitted he was surprised when Popovich told him to take the court to start the second half in Duncan’s spot.

“Pop changed his mind so he could rest ‘TD’ for the next game,” he said. “I just think, ‘Well, just keep working out there and try to play good.’?”

Popovich said he was encouraged by Splitter’s performance. The Brazilian center logged nearly 25 minutes, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

“Tiago is a professional,” he said. “Last year he was hurt, so he couldn’t play. He’s been a great competitor and been on a lot of great teams in Europe, just like Luis (Scola) was before he came over.

“Tiago just knows how to play, and he’s the ultimate pro. He plays defense, he rebounds, he runs the floor, he’s unselfish. He’s just a blue-collar guy who works his butt off.”

Shootaround notes: Joseph finally on the job

HOUSTON — Nobody was happier to be on the  Toyota Center court for this morning’s shootaround than Spurs rookie Cory Joseph.

After missing the first eight days of his first NBA training camp while clearing up immigration issues with his native Canada, the former Texas point guard was finally able to slip on some workout gear for his first practice as a professional.

He might even play tonight, when the Spurs open the preseason against the Rockets.

“You get anxious to get out there on the court and start playing,” said Joseph, the 29th pick in the June draft. “I’m happy it’s over and I’m on the court again.”

Joseph, 20, filed paperwork to receive a work visa as soon as the lockout officially ended Dec. 9. It took a little more than a week for his request to be processed by Canada’s Citizen and Immigration department.

“It was just slow,” Joseph said. “I couldn’t tell you why. I guess it was just taking a little bit longer than we  thought.”

On Thursday, Joseph flew to Toronto to pick up the visa. He met the Spurs in Houston on Friday afternoon, at long last signed his rookie-scale contract, and was on the floor at the Toyota Center this morning.

Joseph is expected to be in uniform for tonight’s game. With Tony Parker not on the trip, the rookie could be in line to see some minutes backing up T.J. Ford at the point.

“I’m excited,” Joseph said. “This is what every kid waits for.”

Some, it seems, just wait longer than others.

Other bullets from this morning’s shoot:

* , Parker and fellow All-Star Tim Duncan are at home in San Antonio and will skip tonight’s game. Between Les Bleus and ASVEL Villeurbanne, Parker has been playing more or less non-stop since late August. Duncan, apparently, is just old.

* Rockets forward Luis Scola and Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, teammates on the Argentine national team, met for dinner in Houston on Friday night. Spurs center Tiago Splitter, Scola’s old Spanish League compadre, joined them. “We broke a rule and invited a Brazilian,” Scola joked.

* Speaking of Splitter, Scola says Spurs fans didn’t get a chance to see every tool in the Brazilian’s arsenal during a forgettable rookie season. “He’s got great post moves,” Scola said. “He’s great around the basket.”

* Rendered jobless by the lockout, Joseph said he split workout time between his old college campus in Austin and Houston, where he worked out with former NBA point guard — and former Spurs coach — John Lucas.

At UT, Joseph’s workout partners included a bevy of former Longhorns such as Kevin Durant, Tristan Thompson and T.J. Ford, who would soon become his teammate with the Spurs. Joseph said he gained the most out of his sessions with Lucas.

“He was a great point guard back in the day,” Joseph said. “He taught me a lot – coming off the screens, decision-making, a whole bunch. Just the pace of the NBA game, as a point guard.”

Duncan: Sink or swim time for Spurs bench

By Mike Monroe
mikemonroe@express-news.net

Two days away from playing the first game of his 15th season, Spurs captain Tim Duncan has declared himself fit, fresh and deeply concerned about the team’s depth.

A 66-game schedule being shoe-horned into 121 days will require the Spurs to play 17 sets of back-to-back games and two sets of back-to-back-to-backs.

It is one of the NBA’s most demanding schedules, and Duncan understands it will require more playing time from reserves.

“We’re going to find out if guys can play, if guys are ready to go, ready to contribute, because we’re going to have to use a lot of guys,” he said. “Whether you want to or not, you’re going to have to put guys out there and let them sink or swim.

“It’s not just our team. Everybody’s going to break down. Everybody’s going to need a deep team. That’s what it’s going to come down to.”

Duncan is one of only four big men on the Spurs roster with NBA experience, along with DeJuan Blair, Matt Bonner and Tiago Splitter. Two more big men, power forward Frank Hassell and center Luke Zeller, remain on the roster on make-good contracts.

“We need some guys to step up, a lot of guys,” Duncan said. “We’re going to need some of our bench to find their way and find their rhythm and help us out a lot. That will have to answer itself here come season time.

“We’ll have to figure out who’s going to be out there and who can give us some help, game in and game out, because it’s going to be a lot of games in not a lot of days and that depth is really going to make a difference.”

Blair’s answer: Blair, likely the starting center on opening night, has a fresh idea about how to make certain Duncan is fresh for the playoffs.

“We are going to play Tim a couple of games,” he said. “It’s 66 games in 120 days. That’s wild. I would rather Tim would sit out until the playoffs. We just have to get there first. That’s my big brother. I don’t want him to get hurt. I’m saving him.”

Of course, the Spurs’ chances of making the playoff field in the Western Conference are minuscule if Duncan plays only “a couple of games,” as Blair knows.

“He’s good and he wants to play every game if his body lets him,” Blair said. “It’s Pop’s decision and he’s going to be all right. I’ve got his back.”

Ho-ho-ho: The Spurs will practice today, but Popovich is giving his players a day off to celebrate Christmas. The truncated training camp means there hasn’t been a special emphasis on preparation for Monday’s game.

“It’s everything,” Popovich said, “squeezing a lot into a short time. We’re also not trying to go too fast. We all have to try and gauge what we think we can get in well, instead of what we think we can get in sloppily. It will take time.”

With two rookies on the roster and a new backup point guard, T.J. Ford, there has been plenty of teaching to get done in the short camp.

“They’ve been pretty efficient,” Popovich said of his new players. “The young guys are good people, good character, willing participants. I think they’re figuring things out pretty quickly.”